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Benin Travel Blogs

Background: Present day Benin was the site of Dahomey, a prominent West African kingdom that rose in the 15th century. The territory became a French Colony in 1872 and achieved independence on 1 August 1960, as the Republic of Benin. A succession of military governments ended in 1972 with the rise to power of Mathieu KEREKOU and the establishment of a government based on Marxist-Leninist principles. A move to representative government began in 1989. Two years later, free elections ushered in former Prime Minister Nicephore SOGLO as president, marking the first successful transfer of power in Africa from a dictatorship to a democracy. KEREKOU was returned to power by elections held in 1996 and 2001, though some irregularities were alleged.

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By Silv
March 26th 2008

Words cannot describe... Africa » Benin » South » Cotonou

My first African sunset

It is hard to know the words to choose to begin describing this new adventure of my life, but I guess its just easiest to start at the beginning... So my last week in Montpellier flew past, every day at school with an awesome class of people who became great friends. We had an awesome night on out final thursday, all meeting up for goodbye drinks, lots of laughs and languages around the table (sorry I forgot the cd with the photos on it, they are no longer on my camera, will post them next time). But studpidly of me I [View Full Entry]

Eat yoghurt and you will look like a sumo man

By solstice21
March 25th 2008

a higher power Africa » Benin » South

Cotonou

I’m in my ninth month here in Benin, and I have to say that there are days when I wonder what I’m doing here still. I love Benin, but it’s not easy being who I am and living here. I mean, sometimes the injustice I witness on a daily basis is too much to handle, and other times I feel I’m getting used to it. The way women are treated, the problem of child trafficking, the lack of education… and here I am, a college educated, socially liberated American woman. What can I possibly do to improve these women’s lives, to [View Full Entry]

By ouidah
February 25th 2008

Responsible travel in Benin Africa » Benin » North » Natitingou

responsible travel in Benin and Togo

FORTUNE’ (a new angel) Notes from the last journey to Benin Sometimes, during our journeys of responsible tourism one may encounter human dramas that lacerate our hearts and imprint images in our minds, that will stay for a long time. All facts and people are real. Our holiday in Benin was over. Pierre and Elodie, the two young French that we left in the north of the country, would be back in Ouidah in one day. I thought, possibly, there would be some time to show them Ganvie, the lagoon city. Therese, my Beninese wife, SORROWwas preoccupied. “Do you remember that [View Full Entry]

By ouidah
February 25th 2008

La Maison de la Joie Africa » Benin » South » Ouidah

the house of Joy

The House of Joy We could not miss a visit to Justine during our journey in Benin. We knew that she was giving a shelter to some women who had been kicked out of their home by their own husbands, together with their children. In general, a wife is kicked out because she did not accept that her husband brought home a second one. Also, the income often too scarce to maintain several wives and all of their children. Harsh quarrels begin, that most often end with the elder woman being kicked out. In general, she leaves her children to her [View Full Entry]

By ouidah
February 25th 2008

"Videmegone" enfant prete in Benin Africa » Benin » South » Ouidah

the house of Joy at Ouidah

JOSHIANE Each time we go to Africa there is some novelty. Sometimes pleasant, sometimes sad or even dramatic. This time Maison de la Joie looks quiet. Children are growing up, their number is growing as well, from ten to twenty and others are waited. My wife and my daughter are there since one month. My arrival is welcome with a breakfast based on rice and chicken at 5 am. After a few hours sleep the noise and the kitchen smell wake me up. I meet the new children, there are stories to learn and to tell. Among them, a child of [View Full Entry]

By ouidah
February 25th 2008

Let's meet Benin Africa » Benin » South » Ouidah

Into a village

LET'S MEET BENIN: The country of the amazones, of the historical slave trade, of the children new slaves today, of the voodoo. A journey to meet, understand and share a culture. Also, a bit of adventure! The Africans say: “The world knows very well how people die in Africa, but knows nothing of how people live there”. With this journey, we would like to repair a historical and cultural injustice that makes the economic injustice even worse. The drums boom unrelently, dancers and young adepts staring at nothing out of fatigue, tribal kings with their courts of wive [View Full Entry]

By solstice21
February 2nd 2008

How's Africa? Africa » Benin » South

la maison

I was asked this question, "How's Africa?" I wasn't sure how to respond, so I just rambled a bit... Africa is a thousand books that have never been written, a thousand voices which have never been heard, a moving, dancing, singing, writhing, bustling continent with a history so rich we can only scratch its surface. I cannot say how africa "is," for I can only speak of the slice of it that I currently inhabit. Yet, even in this one small space, there is much to say. Even I, dressed in my light skin so many generations removed from the Equatorial [View Full Entry]

By Erika
January 25th 2008

A Time for Feasting Africa » Benin » South » Athiémé

Holiday Car

I never expected to eat a chicken head, but as I studied the bone structure of my meal in the twilight of the 2nd of January, 2008, I discovered that chicken-head meat is pleasant. I refrained from gnawing on the eye sockets, but everything else went down well. Since December 25th, 2007, I have more often than not only needed to eat every other day, finished with a cup of coffee for digestion while sitting in a pagne for a bathrobe as waistline relief. On Christmas Day I visited my host family. I was greeted as warmly as ever, given the [View Full Entry]

By Erika
January 25th 2008

Someday Africa » Benin » South » Athiémé

I hadn’t slept well and still woke up early. I decided to go to morning mass at 7h, as a means to get out of the house and in search of motivation. Arrived at the church I discovered there was no mass for some reason, so I turned to walk home. I decided to take the short path that passes through light brush from the river to the church. As I passed a smaller path that lead away from town into more fields, I wondered what was beyond and said to myself that someday I would follow it. Then I [View Full Entry]

By Viajerong Pinoy
January 17th 2008

BENIN IN 48 HOURS Africa » Benin » South » Ouidah

GANVIE

The border is just over an hour away from Chez Alice.We were given 48 hour visas at the border, lots of food vendors on both sides of the frontier. We drove to Ouidah, stopped at the Immaculate Conception church and had a few hours to walk around town, we decided to go to the Snake temple nearby and Chrissy, Ingrid, Mark and Jo had their photos taken with a phyton round their necks, I opted out. Then we went to the Museum of History, quite interesting place, but cant take photos. We met up at an outside bar next to the [View Full Entry]

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